Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade held every Thanksgiving Day in New York City. Originally called the Macy's Christmas Parade, it was first held in 1924 and has run continually since then, only missing three years due to rubber shortages during World War II. The two and a half mile parade features large balloons of well-known characters alongside floats and marching bands, ending with a float of Santa Claus upon his sleigh, marking the start of the Christmas season. Interestingly, all performers in the parade, including those appearing through Sesame Workshop and others, must become "employees" of Macy's.Carlo Alban, "I Was Undocumented on "Sesame Street"", Fox News Latino, March 14, 2011. Kermit the Frog and the Muppets The first Kermit the Frog balloon debuted in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1977.Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade by Robert M. Grippo and Christopher Hoskins, Arcadia Publishing, 2005. The balloon was 63 feet tall and 24 feet wide, and took four hours and 5,220 cubic feet of helium to reach its full size. It was constructed at the Goodyear plant in Rockmart, Georgia."Balloons Over Broadway: Famous Frog Flies for Feast Fete", The Muppet Show Fan Club newsletter, vol 1, no 4. 1978. The Muppet cast made a live appearance in the 1979 Parade to promote The Muppet Movie. Miss Piggy rode the parade route in a Rolls Royce, followed by the rest of the Muppets in the Electric Mayhem bus."Kermit Celebrates International Year of the Child", The Muppet Show Fan Club newsletter, vol 2, no 2. 1979. Also in 1979, the Kermit balloon was the first inflatable from the parade to travel outside of the USA, heading to England to help celebrate the International Year of the Child. The 1981 parade featured Beauregard's taxi, with Beauregard driving madly around the parade. Kermit, Fozzie Bear and Gonzo appear as passengers. The 1985 parade was affected by heavy rain, which weighed down the balloons. The Kermit balloon ripped its stomach along Central Park West during the parade. An AP report said that "The Kermit balloon was punctured by a tree and almost crashed into spectators as it sailed down the parade route with its left foot dragging the street." "Thanksgiving in N.Y.: Superman a Bust in Holiday Parade", San Francisco Chronicle. November 29, 1985. With only about 20% of his helium inside the balloon, Kermit was carried for the rest of the parade by his green-clad frog handlers."Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! 1985 & 1986", X-Entertainment.com. Thanksgiving 2003. In 1987, Jim Henson and Kermit appeared live on the telecast to accept the Rollie Award, an award named for Rowland H. Macy, for their years of service to the parade. Kermit graciously accepted the award, saying, "Listen, to be immortalized in a large balloon about 75 feet tall and filled with gas is one of the greatest thrills of my life, and I wish everybody out there could have the same exciting thrill. And it would be a wonderful parade if they did.""The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! 1987 Edition!", X-Entertainment.com. November 24, 2004. The Kermit balloon suffered another mishap in 1991, when it scraped against high branches on Central Park West, tearing a hole in the balloon. "We thought he had turned into a tree frog," said Marc Schwab, the balloon captain. "Personally, I think he saw Miss Piggy on a sidestreet. But he was a real trouper. He was down, so to speak, but he wasn't out." "Sighs of Relief, Mostly, for High-Flying Stars in Parade", James Barron, The New York Times. November 29, 1991. The New York Times reported that the balloon, "borne by its crew and wildly cheered on by the crowd, galumphed on toward Herald Square." "Below Those Great, Big Balloons," Peter M. Nichols, The New York Times. November 19, 1995. Parade producer Jean McFaddin talked about the incident in 1995, saying, "If a balloon gets disfigured so that it would be disruptive to children, we pull it out of the parade." Asked what would be disruptive enough, McFaddin answered, "If Kermit had his face torn off." Kermit was left in the parade in '91, although the mostly-deflated, 1,000-pound balloon had to be carried down Broadway by his handlers. "He looked like he was swimming," McFaddin said. "Above the Parade: Macy's balloons take the high road on Thanksgiving," Mary Vorobil, Newsday. November 21, 1995. After this incident, the Kermit balloon was retired from the Parade. "Clear, Cold & Kermit for Big Parade", Ralph R. Ortega and Tamer El-Ghobashy, New York Daily News. November 28, 2002. (The article actually claims that the balloon retired in 1990.) In 1994, Kermit the Frog was named the parade's "Holiday Ambassador." Costumed versions of him and Miss Piggy were seen during the parade, riding in a horse-drawn carriage (underscored by "It Feels Like Christmas"). After an 11-year hiatus from the Parade, a new Kermit the Frog balloon debuted in 2002. The new balloon is 78 feet long, 61 feet high and 36 feet wide, with a volume of 11,000 cubic feet of helium. To mark the occasion, Kermit was the official holiday mascot for Macy's in 2002, and he rode on Santa's sleigh at the end of the parade. "[http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2002/11/27/2002-11-27__peanuts__fave_leads_floatil.html Peanuts fave leads flotilla: Charlie Brown star of holiday parade]", Ralph R. Ortega, New York Daily News. November 27, 2002. During the broadcast, Kermit and Miss Piggy were interviewed by Today Show weatherman Al Roker to talk about the new balloon. (Not so coincidentally, their new TV-movie, It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie aired on NBC a day later.) The new balloon was used, on and off, until its final appearance in the 2012 parade. In 2008, Kermit appeared live on the Central Park float, and performed the song "I Believe". In 2009, Kermit performed the song again, as a duet with Tiffany Thornton. The song was also performed on the Santa Claus float soon after. The Muppets kicked off the 2016 parade with a pre-recorded musical number: "Hey, It's Macy's!", a variation of The Great Muppet Caper's opening number, "Hey a Movie!" The song was performed by a large crowd of Muppets, including Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Scooter, Rowlf the Dog, Lew Zealand, the Swedish Chef, Sweetums, Pepe, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, Statler and Waldorf a couple Chickens and some Penguins, along with assorted Macy's clowns and dancing Christmas trees. Following this, Miss Piggy appeared in an introduction with Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie, which led into a live performance of "Twist and Shout" by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. Toward the end of the parade, Miss Piggy and Tony Bennett gave a live performance of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." Sesame Street Balloons Several Sesame characters have also appeared in balloon form. Big Bird's balloon debuted in 1988; the balloon (designed by Michael Frith) featured Big Bird wearing a winter cap and a sweater, and carrying alphabet blocks. The Big Bird balloon led the parade in 1991 and 1998; the latter parade was particularly windy and rainy, and the balloon was kept low to the ground in order to test the wind. "Soggy spectacle: Rain keeps crowds away from Macy's annual parade", Mae M. Cheng, Newsday. November 27, 1998. After ten years, the original Big Bird balloon was wearing out -- according to a Christian Science Monitor article, "Its stitching is frayed, and he's been patched a lot." A new balloon was made in 2001, showing Big Bird playing a pair of cymbals. "Behind the scenes at the Macy's parade", Seth Stern, The Christian Science Monitor. November 20, 2001. A Super Grover balloon launched in 2003 (designed by Louis Henry Mitchell Louis Henry Mitchell at Kids' Comic Con 2013, recounted here), and was followed by an Abby Cadabby balloon in 2007. The Abby Cadabby balloon stands at 56 feet long, 37.5 feet wide, and 48.5 feet high; Abby and her magic wand are filled with 16,100 cubic feet of helium.Flying Icons - November 2007, Macy's Inc. press release Float A Sesame Street float first appeared in the parade in 1974, with Muppets and cast members waving to the crowd. The original float featured two buildings -- the 123 Sesame Street brownstone, and Hooper's Store. The streetlight with the Sesame Street street sign was located at the front of the float; a ramshackle fence was at the back, decorated with numbers and letters. Big Bird perched on the roof of the float; Cookie Monster and other Muppet characters stuck their heads out of the windows, and human cast members (including Mr. Hooper, Gordon and Bob) stood on the front of the float. CTW Products Group newsletter, William Whaley. November 25, 1974. Internal document available to the public at the CTW archives, Box 2. This float appeared in five consecutive parades, through 1978.CTW Products Group newsletter, William Whaley. November 20, 1978. Internal document available to the public at the CTW archives, Box 2. In 1979, Children's Television Workshop celebrated the 10th anniversary of the show with a brand new float, a much taller, two-story structure. Big Bird sat in his nest at the top of the building, and cast members and kids appeared at the front of the float. A sign was carried in front of the float which said, "Macy's wishes Sesame Street a Happy 10th Year".CTW Products Group newsletter, William Whaley. December 6, 1979. Internal document available to the public at the CTW archives, Box 2. As most of the main Muppet performers were working The Electric Mayhem Bus for The Muppet Movie, additional puppeteers were recruited. Among them were Kevin Clash, in his first Muppet-related performance. Clash performed Cookie Monster, and remembers having lost his voice from shouting in the gravelly impersonation throughout the route. It was at this parade's Henson after-party that Kermit Love introduced him to Jim Henson.Panel discussion at Muppets, Music & Magic, as recorded for The MuppetCast episode 20. The 1981 float promoted the new Sesame Street Live shows, including walk-around characters. A sign was carried in front of the float: "Macy's presents Sesame Street Live". CTW Products Group newsletter, William Whaley. December 1981. Internal document available to the public at the CTW archives, Box 2. The Sesame Street float was retired for over a decade subsequently, but returned in 1994, with an abstract design of the street made from books based on the show's current literacy curriculum.The Spokesman-Review: Sesame Street discovers books - Nov 21, 1994 A Sesame Street has been a part of the parade every year since. The current Sesame Street float measures 32 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 2 stories tall."Floating Beauty: The 81st Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Rides Down Broadway on Theatrical Moving Stages", Macy's press release, November 2007. It was designed by Louis Henry Mitchell, who was asked to have it represent "the show’s history (the classic brownstone) while also doing something modern and visually exciting." In 2002, the Sesame Street float featured a message about peace and universal goodwill, and the American cast was joined by a group of international Sesame Muppets. The international Muppets included Filfil and Nimnim from Egypt's Alam Simsim, Hu Hu Zhu from China's Zhima Jie, Rumpel and Samson from Germany's Sesamstrasse, Kareem, Dafi and Haneen from the Palestinian Shara'a Simsim, Abelardo and Lola from Mexico's Plaza Sésamo, Zeliboba and Businka from the Russian Ulitsa Sezam, and Moishe Oofnik from the Israeli Rechov Sumsum and Shalom Sesame. That year, the cast sang "We Are All Earthlings". For at least three parades (2001, 2013 and 2014), Alan Muraoka has choreographed the float performance.Alan Muraoka's official website Fraggle Rock float A Fraggle Rock float appeared in the Parade in 1983 and 1984 "Cartoon Old-Timers and Upstarts are Parade Hits", Elaine Sciolino, The New York Times. November 23, 1984. The float featured Junior Gorg sitting on top, swinging his club on a set based on the Gorgs' garden. Uncle Traveling Matt hid below Junior's line of sight. Below Junior, the float opened out into a lavish Fraggle caves set, where the main characters played instruments and sang while other Fraggles played around them -- including two Fraggles balanced on a seesaw. The Fraggles performed a short version of the "Fraggle Rock Theme". In 1984, the float was also accompanied by a group of Fraggle walk-around characters."The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! 1984", X-entertainment.com. Muppet Appearances at the Macy's Parade '' photo release promoting the launch of the Kermit the Frog balloon for the 1977 Macy's Parade.]] ]] Bold text indicates the debut of a new balloon, float or appearance. *1974: Sesame Street float *1975: Sesame Street float CTW Products Group newsletter, William Whaley. November 1975. Internal document available to the public at the CTW archives, Box 2. *1976: Sesame Street float "Waiting for Bullwinkle and Bird Worthwhile Trial for 2 Children", Lena Williams, The New York Times. November 26, 1976. *1977: Kermit the Frog balloon , Sesame Street float *1978: Kermit the Frog balloon , Sesame Street float *1979: The Electric Mayhem bus , new Sesame Street float , Kermit the Frog balloon *1980: Kermit the Frog balloon, Sesame Street float *1981: Kermit the Frog balloon , Sesame Street float *1982: Kermit the Frog balloon , Sesame Street float CTW Products Group newsletter, William Whaley. September 1982. Internal document available to the public at the CTW archives, Box 2. *1983: Fraggle Rock float , Kermit the Frog balloon "Parade's Star Quality Undimmed By Rain or Mickey Mouse Mishap", Maureen Dowd, The New York Times. November 25, 1983. *1984: Fraggle Rock float , Kermit the Frog balloon , Sesame Street car *1985: Kermit the Frog balloon *1986: Kermit the Frog balloon *1987: Jim Henson and Kermit accept the Rollie Award , Kermit the Frog balloon "Four Debuts During a 'Spectacular' Parade", Michael Freitag, The New York Times. November 27, 1987. *1988: Big Bird balloon *1989: Big Bird balloon *1990: Kermit and Miss Piggy walk-arounds riding in a Rolls-Royce car , Ernie and Bert walk-arounds sing "Do You Like Me?" , Kermit the Frog balloon "Airborne animation: Balloons give a lift to parade", Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today. November 21, 1990., Big Bird balloon , broadcast includes a tribute to Henson *1991: Kermit the Frog balloon , Big Bird balloon *1992: Big Bird balloon "Thanksgiving Day Parade, 1992: No Rein on This Parade", Michael Moss, Newsday. November 27, 1992. *1993: Big Bird balloon "The 1993 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!", X-entertainment.com. *1994: Costumed Kermit and Miss Piggy in a carriage, Big Bird balloon "Thanks for the Parade: Barney and company soar over delighted city", Jesse Mangaliman, Newsday. November 25, 1994., Sesame Street float *1995: Big Bird balloon "Children's Events", New York Magazine. November 27, 1995., Sesame Street float "Sesame Street nostalgia among teenagers makes pre-school items cool to have and hold", The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ). February 15, 1996. *1996: Big Bird balloon , Sesame Street float *1997: Big Bird balloon "Macy's Parade of Balloons Gets One Thing It Doesn't Need: Wind", Douglas Martin, The New York Times. November 28, 1997., Sesame Street float *1998: New Sesame Street float "Parade balloons on tighter leash: Wary of wind, teams will keep 'em in line", Tara George, New York Daily News. November 25, 1998., Big Bird balloon "Balloons Reined In, but Paradegoers Rained On", Douglas Martin, The New York Times. November 27, 1998. *1999: Big Bird balloon "Preparations for parade an event in itself", San Antonio Express-News. November 7, 1999., Sesame Street float *2000: Big Bird balloon "Winds Relent Just Enough to Let the Parade Balloons Float", Winnie Hu, The New York Times. November 24, 2000., Sesame Street float *2001: New Big Bird balloon , Sesame Street float "Macy's parade celebrates 75th anniversary ; This year's event is N.Y.'s official 'coming out' since Sept. 11 attacks", Jeanne Jakle, San Antonio Express-News. November 22, 2001., Kermit walk-around appears on a commemorative float with other children's characters Flickr photo upload by D'OtherPix *2002: New Kermit the Frog balloon , Big Bird balloon "Fans chilled but thrilled: New and familiar sights at parade", Ellen Yan, Newsday. November 29, 2002., Sesame Street float *2003: Super Grover balloon , Kermit the Frog balloon "Above, Familiar Characters; Below, Their Cheering Fans", Robert D. McFadden, The New York Times. November 28, 2003., Big Bird balloon , Sesame Street float *2004: Kermit the Frog balloon "64 Degrees, 59 Balloons, and One Perfect Thanksgiving Day Parade", Patrick Healy, The New York Times. November 26, 2004., Super Grover balloon , Big Bird balloon, Sesame Street float "No rain on parade - it's pure magic: 2.5 million catch rays and supersized sights", Veronika Belenkaya and Tony Sclafani, New York Daily News. November 26, 2004. *2005: Super Grover balloon "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" list of events, JimsDeli NYC Guide. November 24, 2005., Big Bird balloon , 123 Sesame Street float *2006: Super Grover balloon "2006 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" press kit, Macysinc.com. November 3, 2006., Big Bird balloon , 123 Sesame Street float *2007: Abby Cadabby balloon "2007 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" press kit, Macysinc.com. October 16, 2007., Kermit the Frog balloon , 123 Sesame Street float *2008: Kermit the Frog rides on the Central Park float and performs "I Believe" , Kermit the Frog balloon "2008 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" press kit, Macysinc.com. October 29, 2008., Abby Cadabby balloon , 123 Sesame Street float with Lang Lang *2009: Kermit the Frog balloon, 123 Sesame Street Float, Abby Cadabby balloon, Kermit rides on the Bountiful Harvest Cornucopia float and performs "I Believe" with Tiffany Thornton *2010: Kermit the Frog balloon, 123 Sesame Street Float *2011: Kermit the Frog balloon, 123 Sesame Street Float *2012: Kermit the Frog balloon, 123 Sesame Street Float *2013: 123 Sesame Street Float (featuring Jimmy Fallon and the Roots) *2014: 123 Sesame Street Float *2015: 123 Sesame Street float (featuring QuestLove) *2016: Disney Muppets opening number, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem performance, 123 Sesame Street float, Miss Piggy and Tony Bennett performance Merchandise Macy's also carries parade exclusive merchandise every year. An annual item is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Snowglobe, which features representative balloons and floats parading around in a circle. The Big Bird balloon has appeared in the Snowglobe, and the 2009 Snowglobe includes the Abby Cadabby balloon. Macy's has also released special plush versions of Grover and Kermit. UNO produced a special "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Edition" of the classic card game; the cards included pictures of the Super Grover balloon (pictured on the fours) and the Kermit the Frog balloon (pictured on the sixes). Specials including Muppets On November 21, 1978, WNET (the New York PBS affiliate) aired a special about the Macy's parade, hosted by Kermit and Fozzie Bear. Titled Hip Hip Parade!, it featured the duo commenting on the parade, and poking fun at the medium of television.Jim Henson's Red Book (11/22/1979) On Thanksgiving night 2011, NBC aired a Matt Lauer-hosted retrospective of the event and its broadcasts on NBC, including appearances by past hosts like Betty White (who hosted with Lorne Greene), Katie Couric, and Willard Scott. The special included ample archival footage of past Muppet appearances, including the Kermit and Super Grover balloons, Kermit's 2008 performance, Elmo and Couric talking in the booth (from the 1997 parade), Miss Piggy and Kermit talking on the program, and the 2008 Sesame Street float. References *The 1979 Sesame Street Calendar represented the Macy's parade in its November picture, depicting the Kermit float being heled by the Sesame Street Muppets. * Kermit the Frog made reference to his balloon incarnation by performing an impression of himself in the Thanksgiving Day parade on Muppets.com in the video "Take Three!" *A 2013 episode of Sesame Street features a spoof of the parade, where Oscar is running the Trashgiving Day Parade on the street. The corporate sponsor is Mr. Discracy, played by Richard Kind. Gallery Macyskermitballoon.jpg|Original Kermit the Frog balloon, 1977-1991 SS-1978-Float.jpg|The first Sesame Street float, 1978 Macys-70s.png|''Sesame Street'' float, circa 1979 Image:Macysfragglefloat2.jpg|''Fraggle Rock'' float, 1984 Image:Macysfragglefloat.jpg|''Fraggle Rock'' float, 1984 Image:Fraggle-walk-arounds.jpg|''Fraggle Rock'' walk-around characters, 1984 Image:Macys-sesamefloat1984.jpg|''Sesame Street'' float, 1984 Image:Kermit1985balloon.jpg|Kermit the Frog balloon swamped by rain and with a hole in its stomach, 1985 Image:Rollieaward.jpg|Jim Henson and Kermit receive the Rollie Award, 1987 Image:2000bigbird.jpg|Original Big Bird balloon, 1988-2000 Image:MacysParadepainting1988.jpg|Painting of the Macy's Parade by Kathy Jakobsen, featuring balloons of Garfield, Donald Duck, Kermit the Frog, and Superman, 1988 Image:1990parade1.jpg|Kermit and Miss Piggy in a Rolls Royce, 1990 Image:1990parade2.jpg|Kermit and Miss Piggy in a Rolls Royce, 1990 Image:Berternieparade.jpg|Bert and Ernie sing "Do You Like Me?", 1990 Image:Kermit1991.jpg|The Kermit balloon suffers a head wound, 1991 Image:Macy's-SesamePopupBookFloat-(1998).jpg|Sesame pop-up book float sketch, 1998 Image:Macy's-SesamePopupBookFloat-01.jpg|''Sesame Street'' "pop-up book" float, 2000 Image:Macy's-SesamePopupBookFloat-02.jpg|''Sesame Street'' "pop-up book" float, 2000 Image:Macys-sesamefloat2001.jpg|''Sesame Street'' "pop-up book" float, 2001 Image:2ndBigBirdBalloon.jpg|New Big Bird balloon, 2001-2006 Image:Newkermitballoon.jpg|New Kermit the Frog balloon, debuted 2002 Image:Macysthanksgivingdayparade2002promotion.jpg|Promotional art for the 2002 parade, featuring Kermit the Frog along with balloon newcomers Nick Jr's Little Bill, Charlie Brown, and Mr. Monopoly. Image:76th-macy's-parade.jpg|''Sesame Street'' float with international Muppets, 2002 Image:Macys-supergrover.jpg|Super Grover balloon, 2003-2006 Image:Snowglobe-merchetcsnowglobemacys.jpg Image:MacysParade2006.jpg|A 2006 advertisement for the Parade featuring the Big Bird balloon. Image:Macys-sesamefloat2006.jpg|''Sesame Street'' float, 2006 Image:Abbyfloat.jpg|Abby Cadabby balloon, debuted 2007 Image:30parade 650.jpg|Abby Cadabby balloon in the 2007 Macy's Parade Image:Macys2008b.jpg|''Sesame Street'' float with Lang Lang, 2008 Image:Ssfloat2008macys.jpg|''Sesame Street'' float, 2008 Image:Macys2008a.jpg|''Sesame Street'' float, 2008 Image:Bethcareen 3063961293 6f66e3c3bc o.jpg|Alice Snuffleupagus on the Sesame Street float, 2008 Image:Bob McGrath photo of Macys 2008.jpg|Human cast with Lang Lang, 2008 Image:Kermitmacysparade1.jpg|Kermit performs "I Believe", 2008 Image:Kermitmacysparade2.jpg|Kermit performs "I Believe", 2008 Image:Paradesnowglobe2009.jpg|Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade snowglobe, 2009 Image:2009SesameFloat.jpg|''Sesame Street'' float, 2009 Image:Bertssfloat2009.jpg|Bert on the 2009 float Image:Abbykermithandlers.jpg|The Abby Cadabby balloon with the Kermit the Frog balloon handlers, 2009 Image:Kertiff_6831.JPG|Kermit and Tiffany Thornton from above, 2009 Image:2009macysparadefloatkermit.jpg|Kermit and Tiffany Thornton, 2009 Image:2010SesameFloat-GroupPhoto.jpg|A group photo of the Sesame Street cast on the float, 2010 Inside_ss_macy_float.jpg|inside the Sesame float (Being Elmo) macys sesame float.jpg Miss piggy tony bennett.jpg|Tony Bennett and Miss Piggy, 2016 macy's 2016 bakery brigade.jpg|The Muppets, 2016 macy's 2016 sesame float.jpg|''Sesame Street'' float, 2016 See also * Macy's Windows * Kermit the Frogtographer * Macy's Kermit Christmas Ornament Sources External links *Official site *Jim Henson's Red Book entry and historic information on the 1979 parade *Behind-the-Scenes footage from the Sesame Street float at Sesame Family Robinson blog Category:Live Appearances Category:TV Appearances Category:Thanksgiving Category:Parades